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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · squash · net · mug · current · club · bark · mark

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. current — happening now
  8. mug — a face
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bark — to shout
  12. club — for golf
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. current — electric
  15. stock — shares
  16. mark — a grade
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. club — for dancing
  22. current — of water
  23. squash — the sport
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com